Management of Complications of Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty

Since the publication of the first case series reporting the outcomes of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension who underwent treatment with balloon pulmonary angioplasty more than 30 years ago, significant improvements to the procedural technique have made balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) a safe and effective therapy that we know today. Nevertheless, BPA carries a small risk of complications, which require rapid recognition and immediate management. The most commonly seen complications associated with BPA include pulmonary vascular injury and reperfusion pulmonary edema.